Report Into Working Conditions of Children.

Joseph Hebergam, 17.

Each worker provided me with important evidence for my report, for example:

• Robert Blincoe had to work in smelly, noisy conditions, with dust and flue suffocating him. He had to constantly stoop to do his task and was forbidden from a quick break and was made to work for 6 and a half hours without rest. He became so deformed because of his work he has had to leave work.
• Elizabeth Bentley was expected to be constantly on her feet and had to run about in order to change the frames. If she slowed for a minute to catch her breath then  they would be strapped, their parents were to scared to do anything about this for the fear of losing their jobs. Where Elizabeth was made to work she injured herself and has now become deformed.
• Joseph Hebergam had worked for but half a year and then he could hardly walk. His brother and sister had to take him under each arm and run a mile to the mill so they were not late. If they were just five minutes late then the overseers would beat them black and blue.

I also found evidence that the mills are unsafe as unused material lies on the floor. And also that the machines insides (cogs etc) are open and someone may catch their clothes or fingers in them causing injury. The children were expected to carry boxes of a weight far too much for them to bear. Fines are imposed other stupid things like whistling, or having a window open, for washing himself, having a little waste on his spindles or a spinner being sick and not being able to find a replacement.

There is evidence that the overseers find their job to be harsh with no sympathy, they show no remorse for the children that get injured by the machines. The overseers care little that the children are worked as long as they can withstand and often fall asleep at work.

I was unable to talk to the mill owner because he was said to be away on business. He may have decided that his ‘business’ needed to coincide with my visit to avoid a confrontation with me as he may have known that my findings might be of this genre. I am not surprised of this move by the owner to avoid me as I have discovered some atrocious treatment of children. Although he such not be such a coward and avoid me as now he may be shut down whereas if he had spoken to me he may have had a chance to rectify the situation through giving an explanation.

So although my report may seem one-sided the overwhelming weight of evidence allows me to conclude that there is some appalling treatment of children workers like deformation and broken bones, long strenuous hours etc. Although the incidents may have occurred to a minority of workers the fact is that there still is maltreatment of children. I am calling for a change in the law to be made by the government; some form of act about health and safety regulations, to do with restrictions upon the maximum amount of hours allowed to be worked and that the parts that make the spinning frames be covered. It is imperative that this is done if not then children will continue to be hurt and suffer through these mills.